Kidô senshi Gandamu II: Ai senshihen

The war between the Principality of Zeon and the Earth Federation continues as the crew of the White Base and Gundam pilot Amuro Ray fight Zeon's Earth Occupation Force as Amuro struggles with the realization that he's a offshoot of humanity called a "Newtype" and what that entails for him in the ever blurring lines of the conflict.

The second film in the compilation film trilogy of Mobile Suit Gundam's first series, Mobile Suit Gundam II: Soldiers of Sorrow continues the story of Amuro Ray as the pilot of the Gundam with White Base engaged in an earthbound conflct with Zeon's forces. Like the previous series entry, Soldiers of Sorrow is primarily made from episodes of the show and like the previous film it hits all the expected beats but doesn't really form a cohesive whole.

For me a lot of Soldiers of Sorrow felt like a "bridge" entry in the trilogy in that it exists simply as set-up for the payoffs in the third film. While sometimes "bridges" are necessary in storytelling, Soldiers of Sorrow is a case where it makes it maybe a tad more obvious that it's a bridge point than it should. There's a part of the movie where Amuro Ray is at odds with White Base commander Bright Noa due to Amuro's suspected status as a "Newtype" leading to Amuro being sidelined temporary for reasons that don't really resonate all that well since we're really not told what a "Newtype" is until quite a ways into the movie. There are some solid story beats in the film such as subplot between an self-interested dismissive pilot named Kai who falls for Miharu, a reluctant Zeon spy who has no love for Zeon but does what she does to support her younger brother and sister after the loss of their parents and it falls nicely under the series/film's explorations of war in how it effects regular people who are just trying to survive and have no interest in the political machinations of the conflict. But aside from that, most of this really just feels like set-up for the confrontations in the final film.

Soldiers of Sorrow is okay. It boast the same engaging action as the first film, but there's not as much emotional resonance with the characters this time around. It's worth a viewing simply for the sake of completing the trilogy and seeing the story as told in film format, but it's a little messy in the execution.

I'm definitely invested in this universe now. It weirdly feels nostalgic watching this, as if Transformers/Scooby-Doo/Dragon Ball primed me for a linear, serious story with the same quirks of the era.

The pacing is a little odd, but it's TV episodes meshed together so I'll let it slide once again. I'm enjoying where the characters seem to be going. There's some interesting developments that add depth and mystery to their motivations, and side characters like Kai really blossom here.

I can't believe there's only one more film left to cover the original story. Fortunately I'll be watching two shows afterwards and Char's Counterattack. Beyond that, who's to say? Lots of room for stories in space.

Mainly concerning one character, but for the rest the original series is still better than this. Extremely choppy editing, a lot of plot contrivances left dangling and the ideas at the core of the 0079 series (in particular the author's disapproval of military authority vs. the civilian efficency) thrown away in favour of pure action don't make this a must-go by any mean. We're still in the territory of non-necessary here.

Condensed from the middle section of the television series, Gundam Movie II has 30% reanimated scenes, so, despite some dated animation, there is some nice eye candy if you look for it. Unlike the previous installment, this Gundam movie takes place entirely on Earth, as Amuro and the White Base crew deal with Zeon ace Ranba Ral,A trio of ace pilots known as Black Trinary, spies and their old enemy Char Anzable. Char remains largely absent for most of this volume, as the focus shifts to the main protagonists, Amuro Ray and Sayla Mass. This movie's a little slower compared to the other two, but you'll probably enjoy it nonetheless.

The first show set the Gundam universe up. It showed some complex things, but it was mostly about trying to escape from overwhelming enemies when your only hope is a ship and a giant robot manned by war displaced civilians. Now the second part just continues the story, but also brings more complexity and starts to expand the world with various factions, family drama, multiple ship and mobile suit designs, hidden bases and political intrigue. It also starts to show that no matter on which side you are you get good and bad people and that you can respect your enemy while you are killing them as you have to fight next to people you despise.

I thought the first Gundam was a little bit more technical, here they just throw new designs around and think less of how people manage on the inside of these fighting machines, but they also expand the characters and the political map and get more into the antiwar message that I feel the series is pushing. In conclusion I liked it more than its predecessor.

Comparing the movies might be irrelevant anyway, since both were released in the same year, so in fact it's just the second part of a larger story, with more to come. I will be watching Gundam III now.